11 week old baby still wakes every 1-2 hours to feed - help!!

[Stillmonday]

What am I doing wrong? Everything I've read tells me he should be dropping most of his night feeds by now but we are just the same- waking every 1 to 2 hours to feed!! What am I doing wrong?

He has plenty of wet & dirty nappies and has been checked for tongue tie.

What can I do??

Breastfed? There are so many different reasons he could be waking. You’re not alone don’t worry! Is he in a sleeping bag so not waking because of blankets coming off? White noise can help. If he’s waking because something is waking him and he can’t get back to sleep on his own then he will just want the comfort of the feed to get him back to sleep. I’m currently up with my 8 month old who won’t gonbaxk to sleep without feeding. But I’m persevering cos I’m so sick of night feeds now

What are you reading that says night feeds have dropped at 11 weeks?!

Mine woke every 2 hours (awith a 4 hour chunk) at night for the first year.

It really isnt uncommon.

To be honest it sounds quite normal for a 11 week old, that's still pretty tiny and I think especially if you're breastfeeding they feed more to boost milk supply before a growth spurt

You are not doing anything wrong, except believing that babies sleep so much.

This is all normal stuff, any sleep before 12 months is a miracle. An all night sleeper before age 3 is doing great!

I know you are tired but it will be ok, just keep going x

I don’t think you are doing anything wrong OP, but I think what you are reading about 11 week olds sleeping through the night might well be wrong.

In my opinion and experience anyway!

Neither of mine slept through with any confidence until maybe 9 months. Sure we had the odd night or longer stretch of 6 or 7 hours which I was thankful for.

I know it is possible, some babies do. But adjusting your expectations might help you accept the reality more.

Yes I'm breastfeeding.

It's on every article that I'm emailed about baby's progress that he should be dropping some night feeds, also annoying family & friends tutting when they keep asking me if sleep has improved yet. I'm just going to lie to them in future!

Sorry, this is totally normal. I empathise. It will pass, but it's not easy in those early weeks.

I distinctly remember family driving me insane in those early days - it was the first question anyone asked me. If I said "no, she's not sleeping", I'd get a load of advice, none of which was wanted (and much of it was out of date).

I thought it was 6 month ish when they could stretch feeds for longer.

I'm writing this having just fed my 10 week old for the second time tonight and he's bottle fed. He can go 7:30pm-2/3am but after that he feeds 2 hourly again.

Totally normal and you aren't doing anything wrong. I remember those emails, just ignore them. My 18 month old still wakes at night which is also normal, I've been up with her for 90 minutes because she was wide awake at half 3 for no apparent reason. Keep going. You're doing a great job.

Relatives etc need to stop the tutting. Its normal. My one year old for example, if hes poorly or had a big day even he might ask for a heap of feeds in the night. Its confort more than hunger tho.

11 weeks its to be expected. Whats your sleep setup? I found bedsharing helped me as you literally pop your boob out and carry on. The lullaby trusts website has guidance on it to make sure its safe for your baby

Completely normal! Stop listening to these family and 'friends' who seem to be trying to make you feel bad.

Mine went longer when we started giving her formula as a last feed but she was a very good sleeper anyway. I was planning on stopping the bf anyway as I hated it. So this is probably no use to you.

Are you able to feed while laying down. I found it really hard when they were tiny but it was a total game changer when I got the hang of it, I was able yo doze through night feeds and felt I got so much more sleep.

Lots of reassuring stuff here www.basisonline.org.uk

Sounds totally normal. My DD is 13 weeks and my NCT group of eight ranges from a baby waking up every hour to one sleeping for nine hours on average. I’ve heard about giving formula as the last bottle but my baby is EBF and she sleeps through so not sure that’s true?

My 15 week EBF baby is up every two hours or so. After 4am it becomes every hour or so.

I understand re the family constantly questioning why baby isn’t sleeping through and it must be because she’s not getting enough milk!

So now as far as they’re aware she’s only up every 4 hours now

Completely normal and lots of people lie (mainly to stop the ‘helpful’ suggestions which then feeds the whole cycle).

DS1 is a poor sleeper and stopped waking every 90 minutes at about 8 months. It’s tough, really tough. I’m sorry!

11 weeks is still quite young. Not uncommon for them to still be feeding every 2 hours. At 6 months there is absolutely no reason why baby should not sleep all the way through. Baby should be able to self settle. If not I would advise you to work on that because hunger and need for comfort can sometimes overlap.

An 18 month old should be sleeping all night or there’s something far wrong. And a 3 year old doing great if they’re sleeping all night!!! This must be a joke

Everything I've read tells me he should be dropping most of his night feeds by now

What on earth are you reading? 11 weeks is still a very tiny baby.

My BF baby was waking every couple of hours for a feed till she was a year. (Why did I have another one?)

Just wait till the 4 month sleep regression hits.